Statue of Liberty interior to reopen Oct. 28

The interior of the Statue of Liberty will reopen to visitors on a limited basis on Oct. 28.

The statue was closed for a one-year renovation on Oct. 29, 2011.

The 125-year-old statue has been undergoing improvements for visitor safety, including upgrades to the fire-suppression system, two new means of exiting the monument, and a fire break between the statue and the pedestal, according to the National Park Service.

“We have reached a critical milestone in our fire and life safety project where we can begin to allow visitors back in to the monument on a limited basis while the project moves to completion by the end of the year,” David Luchsinger, superintendent of Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, said in a statement.

Luchsinger stated that the full details of the reopening will be released in the near future.

After Sept. 11, 2001, the Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island were closed to the public. On Dec. 1 of that year, Liberty Island reopened to the public but the monument remained closed until Aug. 3, 2004, when visitors were allowed to walk to the statue's pedestal observation deck. On July 4, 2009, the crown reopened to the public.

The Statue of Liberty, located on a 12-acre island in New York Harbor, was a gift of friendship from France. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886.